How to get a learner's licence in Nova Scotia
How to get a Class 7 learner's licence in Nova Scotia: who can apply, the online or in-person knowledge test, the vision test and ID at Access Nova Scotia, learner rules, driver training, the road test and fees. Every fact links to novascotia.ca.
By the Canada Exam Prep Editorial Team ·
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- Checked October 17, 2026
In Nova Scotia every new driver, whatever their age, starts with a Learner's Licence (Class 7) in the Graduated Driver Licensing program. You can take the two-part knowledge test online at home or in person, but passing it does not let you drive yet: you still visit the Registry of Motor Vehicles or Access Nova Scotia for a vision test, ID, a photo and the licence fee.
This guide covers each step from eligibility to the road test, with the fees Nova Scotia publishes, the documents to bring and the rules learners most often break. Each fact links to the novascotia.ca page or the Driver's Handbook chapter it comes from.
Step by step
Check that you can take the test
You must be 16 or older, with written consent from a parent or guardian if you are 16 or 17. You cannot have outstanding fines or privilege reinstatement fees, and your licence cannot be suspended or prohibited.
Source: novascotia.ca — Take a driver knowledge test: Learner's Licence (class 7)Study the Driver's Handbook
The test has two parts: Rules of the Road and Road Sign Recognition. Each has 20 multiple-choice questions, you need at least 16 correct on each, and each part must be finished within 30 minutes.
Source: novascotia.ca — Take a driver knowledge test: Learner's Licence (class 7)Take the knowledge test online or in person
Online, you fill in the application form, pay by credit card and can start right away in English or French on a desktop or laptop with a webcam. In person at the Registry of Motor Vehicles or Access Nova Scotia, you must first pass the vision test and show your ID and any consent form. You take the test alone, with no help or resource materials.
Source: novascotia.ca — Take a driver knowledge test: Learner's Licence (class 7)Finish the requirements and get your licence
After an online test, visit the Registry of Motor Vehicles or Access Nova Scotia to pass the vision test, show ID with your legal name and date of birth, give parental consent if you are 16 or 17, pay the Learner's Licence fee and have your photo taken. Only then can you start driving.
Source: novascotia.ca — Take a driver knowledge test: Learner's Licence (class 7)Drive under the learner rules
An experienced driver, someone who has held a valid licence for two years and is no longer in GDL, must sit in the front seat, and you may carry no other passengers. Your blood alcohol must stay at zero. Four or more demerit points suspend your driving privileges for six months.
Source: Nova Scotia Driver's Handbook, chapter 1: Your Driver's LicenceConsider an approved driver training course
You need a Service Nova Scotia-approved course before leaving GDL anyway. The long course, at least 25 hours of classroom and 10 hours of driving, lets you take the road test after three months instead of six; the short course is 6 hours of classroom.
Source: Nova Scotia Driver's Handbook, chapter 1: Your Driver's LicenceBook and pass the road test
Book online at an Access Nova Scotia location that offers driver testing, paying by credit card online or in person for a receipt number. The road test costs $52.54 including HST. You bring your own vehicle, and staff do a safety check before the test.
Source: novascotia.ca — Book a road test
Who can get it
- A Nova Scotia resident at least 16 years old. Source: Nova Scotia Driver's Handbook, chapter 1: Your Driver's Licence
- Written consent from a parent or guardian if you are 16 or 17. Source: novascotia.ca — Take a driver knowledge test: Learner's Licence (class 7)
- No outstanding fines or privilege reinstatement fees, and no suspension or other prohibition on getting a licence. Source: novascotia.ca — Take a driver knowledge test: Learner's Licence (class 7)
- You cannot upgrade to Classes 1 to 4 while you are a learner or newly licensed driver. Source: Nova Scotia Driver's Handbook, update pages V–VI: Graduated Driver Licence changes
What it costs
| Item | Amount | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| Knowledge Test (class 7) | $15.03, paid again for each retake | Source: novascotia.ca — Take a driver knowledge test: Learner's Licence (class 7) |
| Learner's Licence | Not confirmed by an official source; check with the provider | Source: novascotia.ca — Take a driver knowledge test: Learner's Licence (class 7) |
| Road test, all classes | $52.54 including HST | Source: novascotia.ca — Book a road test |
| Approved driver training course | Not confirmed by an official source; check with the provider | Source: Nova Scotia Driver's Handbook, chapter 1: Your Driver's Licence |
| Printed Driver's Handbook (optional; the PDF chapters are free) | $9.29 plus taxes, $9.75 in total | Source: novascotia.ca — Nova Scotia Driver's Handbook |
Fees change. Check the amount on the official page or with the provider before you pay.
Where to take the test
Take the knowledge test online in English or French on a desktop or laptop with a webcam, or in person at the Registry of Motor Vehicles or Access Nova Scotia. If you are not comfortable with a written test, contact the Registry or book at Access Nova Scotia to take it verbally; for another language, the Registry can arrange an interpreter. Source: novascotia.ca — Take a driver knowledge test: Learner's Licence (class 7)
What to bring or have ready
- Identification documents that show your legal name and date of birth. Source: novascotia.ca — Take a driver knowledge test: Learner's Licence (class 7)
- The parent or guardian written consent form if you are 16 or 17. Source: novascotia.ca — Take a driver knowledge test: Learner's Licence (class 7)
- For the online test: an email address, a desktop or laptop (not a phone or tablet) and a webcam, which takes photos of you during the test. Source: novascotia.ca — Take a driver knowledge test: Learner's Licence (class 7)
- For the road test: your licence, a vehicle, proof of liability insurance, a valid vehicle permit, proof of valid inspection and, if you took one, your driver training certificate. Source: novascotia.ca — Book a road test
After you pass
Passing the road test moves you to the newly licensed stage (Class 5N) for at least two years, then to the restricted individual stage (Class 5R) for two more. To leave GDL you also complete an approved driver training program and give a copy to the Registry of Motor Vehicles or Access Nova Scotia. Source: Nova Scotia Driver's Handbook, update pages V–VI: Graduated Driver Licence changes
Validity and renewal
A learner's licence is valid for a maximum of two years. If you have not passed the road test before it expires, you must rewrite the learner's test before you can renew it. Source: Nova Scotia Driver's Handbook, update pages V–VI: Graduated Driver Licence changes
Common mistakes
- Driving right after passing the online test. You need the vision test, ID, photo and licence fee at the Registry or Access Nova Scotia first. Source: novascotia.ca — Take a driver knowledge test: Learner's Licence (class 7)
- Trying the online test on a phone or tablet. It needs a desktop or laptop with a webcam. Source: novascotia.ca — Take a driver knowledge test: Learner's Licence (class 7)
- Leaving fines unpaid. You cannot take the test with outstanding fines or reinstatement fees. Source: novascotia.ca — Take a driver knowledge test: Learner's Licence (class 7)
- Carrying friends as a learner. Only the experienced driver in the front seat may ride with you. Source: Nova Scotia Driver's Handbook, chapter 1: Your Driver's Licence
- Showing up for the road test without proof of insurance, the vehicle permit or proof of inspection, or with unpaid fines that block the licence after the test. Source: novascotia.ca — Book a road test
- Letting the learner's licence expire before the road test, which means rewriting the knowledge test. Source: Nova Scotia Driver's Handbook, update pages V–VI: Graduated Driver Licence changes
Prepare for the test
Free practice written from the official material: full practice tests, a study guide, a printable sheet and a timed mock exam.
- Nova Scotia Class 7 practice tests317 original practice questions with explanations
- Nova Scotia practice test (printable PDF)100 Nova Scotia Class 7 practice questions from both parts of the test, with the answer key on separate pages. Print it or save it as a PDF. Free.
- Nova Scotia Class 7 study guideFree Nova Scotia Class 7 study guide: 500 key points from the Nova Scotia Driver's Handbook in plain words, organised by topic, each topic linked to its practice questions.
- Nova Scotia Class 7 Mock Exam 1 – 40 QuestionsUntimed practice · answers explained
- Nova Scotia Class 7 exam simulator40 new random questions every time, full screen, no hints
We last checked the official pages on October 17, 2026. Rules and fees can change; the official source always wins.
FAQ
How to get a learner's licence in Nova Scotia: common questions
How much does a learner's licence cost in Nova Scotia?
The Knowledge Test (class 7) costs $15.03, and you pay again for each retake. The Learner's Licence fee is paid separately when you get the licence; the province does not list it on the test page.
How many questions are on the Nova Scotia learners test?
Forty in total: 20 on Rules of the Road and 20 on Road Sign Recognition. You need at least 16 correct on each part.
Can I take the Nova Scotia learners test online?
Yes, in English or French, on a desktop or laptop with a webcam. If you fail online there is no waiting period; in person you wait until the next day. You retake only the part you failed.
How long before I can take the road test?
Normally at least six months as a learner, or three months if you pass a long-course approved driver training program.
Who can supervise a learner driver in Nova Scotia?
An experienced driver who has held a valid licence for two years and is no longer in the GDL program, seated in the front.
Where can I practise for the Nova Scotia learners test?
Use our free Nova Scotia Class 7 practice tests, the road signs test and chart, the timed mock exam and the printable practice test, all written from the Nova Scotia Driver's Handbook.
Keep practising
- Nova Scotia road sign test60 practice questions for the Road Sign Recognition part of the Nova Scotia Class 7 test: regulatory, warning, work zone, railway, signal and marking questions.
- Nova Scotia practice test (printable PDF)100 Nova Scotia Class 7 practice questions from both parts of the test, with the answer key on separate pages. Print it or save it as a PDF. Free.
- Nova Scotia road signs chartAll the sign drawings from our Nova Scotia Class 7 questions on one page: regulatory, warning, guide, work zone and railway signs, each with its meaning.
- Nova Scotia Class 7 study guide
- Nova Scotia Class 7 Mock Exam 1 – 40 QuestionsUntimed practice · answers explained
- Nova Scotia Class 7 Mock Exam 2 – 40 QuestionsUntimed practice · answers explained
- Nova Scotia Class 7 Practice Test 140 questions with explanations
- Nova Scotia Class 7 Practice Test 240 questions with explanations
- Nova Scotia Class 7 Practice Test 340 questions with explanations
Practice by topic
- Regulatory signsStop, yield and school zone signs, green-circle and red-slash signs, turn, passing, parking and stopping restrictions, one-way, keep-right, speed limit and accessible parking signs.
- Warning and guide signsYellow diamond warning signs for curves, narrowing roads, merges, lane endings, divided highways, bumps and hidden hazards, chevrons and checkerboards, lane-use arrows and green guide signs.
- Work zone signsOrange work zone signs, general, arrow, specific and human activity signs, traffic control persons, flashing arrow boards, lane closures and the main causes of work zone collisions.
- Railway crossingsThe crossbuck and advance railway warning sign, flashing lights and gates, vehicles that must stop at crossings, what to do if you are stuck on the tracks, and parking near a crossing.
- Traffic signals and crossing guardsGreen, yellow and red lights, right and left turns on red, arrow signals, flashing red, yellow and green signals, lane-control signals, dark signals, pedestrian Walk signals and crossing guards.
- Pavement markings and special lanesYellow and white lines, broken, solid and double solid centre lines, edge lines on divided highways, climbing lanes, continuity lines and two-way-left-turn lanes.
- Graduated licensing: Class 7, 5N and restricted stageApplying for a Class 7 learner's licence, the knowledge and vision tests, learner and newly licensed restrictions, curfew, waiting periods, driver training, the restricted individual stage, visitors and new residents, and licence classes.
- Demerit points and losing your licenceDemerit point values for common offences, warning, interview and suspension thresholds for learners, newly licensed and other drivers, probationary and conditional licences, revocation and suspension.
- Right of way, pedestrians and emergency vehiclesIntersection right-of-way rules, marked and unmarked crosswalks, pedestrians at signals, driveways, emergency vehicles, the slow down and move over rule and yielding to transit buses.
- Speed, stopping distance and followingDefault speed limits, 50 km/h situations, school zone limits, stopping distances, driving too slowly, keeping right, the two-second rule, safety scans, blind spots and curves.
- Signals, turning, lane changes and passingSignal lights, hand signals and the horn, right and left turns, turning lanes, lane changes, overtaking and passing, places where passing is unsafe, being passed and backing up.
- Parking, roundabouts and drivewaysWhere you may not stop or park and the distances involved, parallel and angle parking, parking on a hill, roundabouts and rotaries, and entering or leaving driveways.
- Highways, school buses and sharing the road100-series controlled-access highways and interchanges, large commercial vehicles and truck blind spots, school bus lights, motorcycles and bicycles.
- Your vehicle: inspection, equipment, registration and insuranceAnnual safety inspection, tires and studded tire dates, maintenance checks, lighting and horn rules, special flashing lights, loads and trailers, vehicle permits and plates, and mandatory liability insurance.
- Seat belts, child seats and safe driving habitsSeat belt law, child restraints and booster seats, airbags, carrying passengers, driving position, steering, braking and ABS, defensive driving and highway hypnosis.
- Night driving and bad weatherHeadlight timing and dimming distances, glare, rain, fog and snow, hydroplaning, wet brakes, ice and black ice stopping distances, gravel roads, four-wheel drive and winter driving.
- Emergencies and collisionsBreakdowns, brake failure, blowouts, power and headlight failure, a stuck gas pedal, fires, skids, wheels off the pavement, animals, water, downed wires, snow plows and collision reporting duties.
- Impaired driving and fitness to driveBlood alcohol limits, standard drinks, roadside screening results and suspensions, the administrative licence suspension, penalties by offence, drug impairment, emotions, vision standards and fatigue.